The Glitch in the Timeline
by WolvenGoddessEmpath
Summary: A1IC3 was just an ordinary girl...in a non-ordinary life. As an experiment of Doctor W. D. Gaster, she felt like this was her life. But when he falls into the Core, and she runs away to avoid being sent to a family of strangers, A1IC3 starts her own life, from the ground up.
1. A1IC3

A1IC3.

That was her name. Every time she was asked her name, it was always "A1IC3". Why? Because she was not a normal monster girl. A1IC3 was an experiment.

She woke up earlier than usual. Her arm was hurting again. She looked down at it to find that it had swollen up a little from the last test. She must be allergic to whatever Dr Gaster was giving her.

She got out of her small bed, walked to her small dresser and grabbed a button-up shirt and a long pair of pants from a small drawer. The clothes were always big, but she was small for a sixteen year old skeleton. She changed, opened her door and walked through the big, empty hallway.

A1IC3 wished she could be different. She wanted to be like other monster girls. The other two skeletons that lived here escaped, and now she was alone. The only skeleton there. She didn't mind sometimes. She didn't feel lonely too much. Sometimes Dr Gaster would talk to A1IC3 while he tested some theories. They talked about everything.

The hallways were a bit dark, but there was a little light shining through the windows. A1IC3 jumped up, grabbed the windowsill, and pulled herself up so she could at least get a glimpse of the sunrise before her weak, thin, bony arms gave out.

"Good morning," said a voice from behind her. A1IC3 dropped from the window and turned to find Dr Gaster standing there with a small smile on his face. Dr Gaster wore his usual white lab coat and glasses today. His face looked like it had been cracked or something, with one black line going down to his left eye, and the other going down to his chin from the right side of his lip.

"Good morning," A1IC3 replied with a smile. "You're up early, Doctor."

"As are you." Dr Gaster's voice was gentle and warm, but it was shaky, like bad computer programming. He lifted his hand and motioned for her to follow him. Both hands had holes in the palms.

"Couldn't sleep. Had another nightmare." They walked to his office for her daily checkup.

"Oh dear, not again." He gave her a sympathetic look.

"It wasn't as bad this time," she lied, sitting up on the table. It was always bad. Every time, she would watch as monsters all around her turned suddenly to dust, and she would be left facing a black, shadowy figure.

"I wanted to try something new today," Dr Gaster told her as he checked her wounded arm. "The king has allowed me to continue my experiments with human souls. I'm going to try and see if I can make your power better than 5AN5's power. Stronger."

 _Human souls...5AN5..._ She knew 5AN5. She called him "Sans" because sometimes a 5 can look like an S. He and the baby, which 5AN5 called "Papyrus" were brothers. 5AN5 was an experiment. Just like A1IC3. But they escaped before Papyrus could be an experiment too. She didn't. She was too scared.

But she also knew what Dr Gaster did to 5AN5.

"Yes sir," she said, a little fearful.

"What's the matter, A1IC3?" Dr Gaster gave her a warm smile. "You have nothing to be afraid of."

"It's just...well..." She stopped and looked away.

"Alice..." Dr Gaster calls her that sometimes. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I heard 5AN5 scream when you did tests on him. I..."

"You're afraid I'll do the same to you." Dr Gaster's smile faded.

A1IC3 nodded and stared at her bare feet.

Dr Gaster lifted her chin with his hand and looked into her sockets. "I promise I'll do my very best to make this as painless as possible," he said. "Now, let's wrap up that arm."

She went down to have breakfast with the other "patients". Some of them weren't there today. Maybe they were sick.

 _Or dead,_ said the little voice in the back of her mind. She put that voice away and shoveled another forkful of chocolate chip pancakes into her mouth. A normal skeleton wouldn't be able to eat it, but since she was created from magic, she could eat anything. "Almost like a real human," Dr Gaster would say.

After breakfast, she headed back to Dr Gaster's office to start the tests. She sat up on the table again while Dr Gaster filled a syringe with a strange, glowing green liquid.

"The KINDNESS soul," Dr Gaster explained. "One of the six human souls. This one has the 'kindness' trait more than all the other souls do. We name them all based on their color and overpowering trait. Patience, justice, kindness, etcetera."

"What's that?" A1IC3 asked, her sockets somehow widening.

"This is a small piece from the soul. I managed to find a way to extract a piece of a human soul without damaging the souls of both the human it's taken from and the monster it's given to."

A1IC3 forced herself not to cry.

"Lie down, Alice," Dr Gaster said gently, setting the syringe down on the desk.

She obeyed, and he strapped her limbs to the table. A1IC3 let out a small whimper as Dr Gaster picked the syringe up again.

"I know I promised to make this as painless as possible," Dr Gaster muttered, his face now grave and sad. "But I don't think I can. You just have to bear with me."

She started to cry. She hadn't cried out of fear before. But she could feel the tears slide down her skull, and she felt so afraid.

Dr Gaster laid a hand on her head, stroked her hair gently, brought the syringe down, and whispered sadly, "I'm so sorry."

Then he pressed the syringe into A1IC3's right eye.

The pain was unbelievable. She screamed and tried to squirm away from it, but Dr Gaster held firm as he pushed the trigger on the syringe, releasing the glowing green stuff into her bloodstream.

The pain from the syringe was bad, but the white hot agony from what was in it was way worse. Her body felt like it was on fire. A1IC3 kicked and screamed and thrashed, trying to escape from this torture, this absolute hell.

It got worse when she felt the syringe being pressed into her other eye. Her screams changed their volume and pitch, her body seized and she thrashed uncontrollably. She could hear Dr Gaster muttering, "I'm sorry...Alice, I'm so sorry...Forgive me, Alice."

It was only several minutes before the burning ceased to a dull ache, but it felt like ages. Her bones hurt, and her breathing was shaky. She felt tired.

"Dr...Gaster?" A1IC3 looked around as he unstrapped her. "I can't s-see."

"You won't be able to for a little bit. But if this works right, and I hope it does, you'll be able to fully see out of both eyes in less than twenty-four hours. You must be feeling tired already."

"I feel sick too."

"I know, darling..." Now he really sounded sad. "I'm sorry." He pulled her into his arms and embraced her tight.

She smiled a little. "I'll be okay. I just...wanna...sleep now..."

And A1IC3's sockets slowly shut as she fell asleep.

When she awoke, she could see a little better. She could make out the silhouette of her dresser and mirror. Her long blond hair was messy from tossing and turning in her sleep.

A1IC3 slowly got out of bed. Dr Gaster must have carried her back to her room while she slept. She walked carefully to the door, opened it, and clumsily made her way to Dr Gaster's office.

"Alice?" Dr Gaster turned when she walked in. "Oh, my dear. I'm terribly sorry I had to do that."

A1IC3 only nodded.

He sighed, walked to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Please understand that I had to."

"I understand," she said weakly.

He gently hugged her, then helped her to the table. "Your eyes feel okay?" he asked.

"They stopped hurting, but I still can't see too well."

"You'll see soon. I promise. A good night's rest and your eyes will be back to perfection."

She nodded.

"I need to take a few blood tests."

A1IC3 rolled up her sleeve, still finding it amusing that she was a skeleton that could bleed. _Almost like a real human._

Once Dr Gaster had finished, he told her to go eat. She went downstairs, Dr Gaster at her elbow to make sure she wouldn't fall, and smiled when she smelled ginger snaps. Sometimes the cook would sneak her a few after lunch, while the others had to wait until dinner.

She sat down and Dr Gaster looked at her. "I'm going to put some bandages over your sockets after you eat. So you won't strain your vision. This will help the recovery further."

"Okay," A1IC3 said, and Dr Gaster left her.

The cook walked over and set a plate of sandwiches in front of her. "Morning, sweetie. How're you feeling?"

"Tired," she said with a sigh. "And my eye sockets hurt. This test was really painful."

The cook frowned. "Aww baby," she whispered, giving A1IC3 a big hug. "I'm sorry."

A1IC3 gave the cook a big smile. "I'll be okay."

The cook smiled a little. "Well, eat up. You need your strength." Then she leaned in and whispered, "I have a small plate of ginger snaps calling for you."

A1IC3 grinned.

After she ate her ginger snaps, A1IC3 walked upstairs to Dr Gaster's office. She knocked, but there was no answer. She walked in and found a note on his desk.

" _Alice,_

 _I'm out at the Core right now. I wanted to test out a new theory there, and send my findings to the King. Please wait here. I'll be back in an hour._

 _Dr. W.D. Gaster"_

All of this was written in the WingDings font, of course. Dr Gaster had taught her the language.

So A1IC3 waited.

And waited...and waited.

It had been over three hours now. Her vision had almost completely cleared, save for occasional moments of dizziness and temporary blindness. She was getting a little scared. Where was Dr Gaster? He should have come back.

The door opened suddenly. It was the cook. "A1IC3, the Royal Guard is here."

"What? Why?"

"It's Dr Gaster, sweetie. He's..." She trailed off.

"What?" A1IC3 was now really scared.

"He fell into the Core. He...he's gone now, dear."

A1IC3 felt sick. No more tests. No more experiments. This was good. But...no more "Alice". No more friendly doctor. That was sad.

"Come on, honey. The Royal Guard wants to take you to an orphanage so you can get a real home."

Dr...Gaster...gone?

"Let me get some clothes..." A1IC3's voice was hollow as she stepped down from the table and walked to her bedroom. It felt more like she was escaping from a cell now. She felt free, but she also felt dead. Almost like she was losing her father. A father that created her, raised her, kept her safe. A father that experimented on her like she was nothing more than a glorified lab rat.

A1IC3 walked into her room, grabbed some clothes, shoved them into a bag, and walked back out, greeting the two Royal Guard members at the door with a somber "hello".

They escorted her to the front door, and she stopped. One of the Guards looked down at her.

"What is it?" they asked.

She didn't respond. Just dropped her bag and ran.

"Hey, stop!" The Guards chased her, but she kept running. She didn't stop. She technically didn't have lungs, so it would be a long time before she stopped running.

She ran and ran, into the forest and far away. The Hotlands heat would wear out some of the Royal Guard, but the others would come after her. She had to keep going, because she didn't want to get caught. She wanted to get away from everyone.

So she kept running until her legs started to hurt. When she could no longer run without almost falling down, she climbed a tree high enough to be out of sight. She watched the false stars twinkle in the sky until she couldn't stay awake any longer.

Before she fell asleep, she thought to herself, _What do I do now?_


	2. Snowdin Town

A1IC3 woke early again. Another nightmare, but this one was recurring. Dr Gaster had found her and killed her. The same as it had been every night for the past month.

 _He loved me...why? Why would he kill me?_ she thought.

In her temporarily sluggish state, she was dazed. But as she began to wake up a bit more, her mind cleared and she remembered. Dr Gaster was gone, the Royal Guard wanted to take her away, and now she was running from them. She didn't want to be in a home with strangers.

She'd been running for more than a month, and somehow had gotten thinner. She was so hungry, so tired.

A1IC3 started running again. She had no idea where she was going, but she just wanted to get far away from the Hotlands, far from that lab, far from everything Gaster stood for.

Her vision was cleared up now, and she could see just fine. And the aching stopped too. She felt better, save for the empty sadness.

But she tried to push that sadness away, even run away from it. So that's what she did. A1IC3 ran.

She ran until she started to hear a faint tinkling of a music box. Slowing down to a walk, she turned the corner to find a statue with a pink umbrella over it. The statue seemed to be playing a lullaby, a soft and sweet lullaby. It comforted her, made her feel happy.

She found a big rock to sit on and enjoy the soothing music. So she sat, listening to the sweet, gentle sounds. She started to cry. The music seemed to draw out memories and past emotions that she wasn't able to express before. It seemed to call out to her, to sweetly sing "It's alright now. You can cry. Nobody has to know. Your secrets are safe with me." A1IC3 buried her face in her hands and she cried. It felt better, so she didn't stop herself.

"Tra la la..." came a voice from her left. A1IC3 looked over to find a raft and a strange hooded figure standing on it. She dried her sockets and walked to them.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hello, young lady," said the figure. "How are you?"

"I've been better," she answered.

"Ah," the figure replied. "Now, where can I take you?"

"Take me?" she asked.

"Yes, little one. Where am I to transport you?"

A1IC3 had heard of a place called...what was it again? Snowtown? No...Snow-something.

"How about we go to Snowdin Town?" asked the river person, almost reading her mind.

Snowdin. That was it.

A1IC3 carefully stepped on the raft and sat cross-legged on it. "Yes. Snowdin Town, please."

As she said those words, the raft suddenly started to move. It floated quickly, silently on the water. There were no other sounds save for the occasional "Tra la la..." of the river person.

A1IC3 sat with her arms around her knees, wondering what to do about her dirty clothes. She sat there for several minutes, silent, until the river person said something.

"What's your name, young one?" they asked.

"Huh?" she said, looking up.

"What's your name?" they repeated.

"Oh. My name is..." She didn't want to tell them her real name, but that was the only name she knew. But she couldn't tell them that. They'd take her back there.

"My name is Alice."

"Well Alice, this is your stop." The river person turned their head and the raft slowed down. Once they came to a complete stop, A1IC3 stood up and got off.

"Here we are. Have a nice day, little Alice. Tra la la..." And with that, the raft floated off.

A1IC3 looked around at the snow-covered ground. The place was quite lovely, even despite the chilly air. She wrapped her arms around herself and walked on into town. To her right, she could see a few houses, a diner, and a...a "librarby"?

She had to laugh. Her breath came out in little white clouds. "Wonder who p-painted that sign?" she managed through chattering teeth.

"Hello, little girl," said a voice to her left. She turned to find a monster lady looking at her with a big smile.

A1IC3 decided to be polite and greeted her.

"You look like you're freezing!" exclaimed the lady. "Come on, I won't hurt you. What's your name?"

A1IC3 hesitated. "Alice, ma'am."

"Hi, Alice. I'm Honey Bun."

A1IC3 nodded.

"Okay, Alice. I know a girl at the hotel right over there." She pointed to the building by the library. "She can help you warm up. And we'll get you fed. Where are your parents?"

She paused, then replied honestly. "I don't have any parents."

Honey Bun's eyes widened a little. "Oh. How did you get here?"

"I ran."

"Where did you run from?"

A1IC3 looked down. "A very bad place."

Honey Bun looked sad. A1IC3 could tell. She wanted to spill everything, to cry until her throat burned, but not in front of this kind lady. So she held her tongue and looked down.

She was led into the hotel, where Honey Bun spoke with the innkeeper for a few moments while A1IC3 sat on a chair. Then Honey Bun turned to her with a big smile. "Okay, Alice, Miss Bon-Bon is gonna let you stay here for free. But you have to pay her back with work."

A1IC3 nodded. "What do I have to do?"

Bon-Bon spoke up. "You ever wash dishes before, lil darlin'?" she asked with a slight drawl.

A1IC3 nodded. She used to wash dishes at the facility. The cook would slip her extra ginger snaps if she helped.

Bon-Bon smiled. "Okay, sweetie, right this way. I'll show ya to your room."

* * *

Over two years had passed. Alice had officially become a member of Snowdin Town. She had her sights on a house down the road, all to herself. It was small, but she'd made friends with a bunch of other monsters in town, so maybe she could bring them over. Bon-Bon started paying her on her seventeenth birthday, as her way of saying thanks for the work. Alice had objected at first, but after Honey Bun had showed her the little place that was for sale, she gratefully accepted. After another year of work, she had enough gold to buy the house.

She had just come back to the building she now called "home" from a shopping trip. Food, utensils, and china filled the bags in her arms. There was a note on her door. When she read it, she smiled.

 ** _"Come next door. Tonight all drinks and fries are free._**

 _ **-Grillby"**_

Alice grinned. She could use a nice glass of lemonade on ice, or maybe some French fries, smothered in cheese.

She fumbled for her keys, but they slipped and fell to the snow below. She cursed in desperation and bent down to retrieve them.

"Let me get that," said a voice from in front of her. She looked up and saw a skeleton, a little shorter than her, wearing a blue jacket over a white shirt and black shorts, despite the slight chill that Alice had grown used to, and pink fuzzy slippers.

He picked up her keys and helped unlock her door. They both walked in, and Alice set the bags down on the counter and started emptying them.

"So you new to Snowdin Town?" the skeleton asked. "I don't think I've seen you around."

"Not really," Alice answered. "I lived in the hotel for about two and a half years. Gonna turn nineteen next week, actually. This house is my present to myself."

He nodded. "Nice little place." He stuck his hand out. "I'm Sans, by the way."

Alice paused. She knew that name. Sans...Sans...why did she know it?

"I'm Alice," she replied, giving him a firm handshake.

"My brother and I live about thirty paces down the street," Sans said. "You should meet him sometime."

"Your brother?" Alice asked with a smile.

"Yeah. Papyrus."

Alice's sockets widened. She froze. She couldn't believe it. "5AN5," she breathed.

Sans cocked his head to the side. "Nobody's called me that in years. Not since...wait a minute..."

They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Sans broke the silence.

"Oh my God..." he whispered. "Alice?"

Alice beamed. "Sans!" She hugged him tightly.

He returned the embrace and laughed. "Alice, it's been forever!" He let her go and stared at her, all serious. "How did you escape?"

Alice's smile fell. "Gaster's gone. He fell into the Core. The Royal Guard wanted to take me to an orphanage, but my body just took off running. I didn't stop until I got here."

"Gaster's gone?"

She nodded.

"Anything else I should know?" he asked.

"Well, you know how he experimented on you with a human soul, and you came back with your eye all bandaged?" Alice explained.

"Yeah, what about it?" Sans looked confused.

Alice looked at him, hoping he would understand what she was trying to tell him.

Sans's sockets locked onto hers and his voice dropped low. "Oh..."

Another nod.

"That bastard..." he muttered. "Nobody should have to endure that..."

"It's okay," she said. "It's over now. He's not going to hurt us anymore."

Sans nodded. "Hey, how about you, me, and Papyrus catch up over Grillby's tonight?"

"Sounds great!" Alice beams again and holds up the note from Grillby. "I heard drinks are free!"

Sans left shortly after. Alice put the stuff away, connected to her computer, and started looking for some good furniture to purchase for her house. That night, she and the skeletons met at Grillby's and chatted for a while. She learned that Papyrus was trying to join the Royal Guard, Sans had met someone behind a door by the Ruins, and that both had been living wonderfully for the past couple years. It had taken them a while to get on their feet, but here they were. And Alice was finally joining them.


	3. His Return

It had been three months since Alice moved into her house. She had gotten used to the skeletons she now called her brothers coming around every so often, sometimes bringing Undyne with them. She'd visit Grillby's, as she and the polite, friendly flame had started dating a week ago, and chatted with Sans about the mysterious lady behind the door that he'd taken a liking to. She got a job at Grillby's as a waitress while he tended the bar last month. Sometimes she would visit the river person and go back to that statue to hear its lovely tune play. She started her own life. She found a hobby. She developed a routine. Everything was normal.

But one day, things changed.

Her phone rang with an unknown number showing up on the caller ID.

She answered, thinking someone was just dialing a wrong number or maybe Undyne had broken her phone again and bought a new one.

"Hello? This is Alice," she said cheerfully.

"Alice, it's me."

The familiar voice sent a chill down Alice's spine, rattling her bones. It was soft, gentle, yet shook as though it was run through a bad computer program. Her breath hitched. This wasn't Undyne, or a wrong number.

"G...Gaster?"

"Yes, Alice, it is me. How have you been?" Gaster's voice was calm, relieved, and happy.

"How did you find me?" Alice demanded.

"I have ways of finding my patients."

"What do you want?" Her voice was starting to quiver.

"How has the soul's power been? Is it still inside you? Have you tested it on anything?" Gaster was speaking hurriedly. He had that same curiosity that only a scientist could possess.

"I don't know, I don't care, and I don't want to use it," she replied angrily. "I thought you fell in the Core."

"I did, but somehow, I came back," Gaster explained. "There was this voice, telling me to stay...determined. And then I woke up in my bed, and you were gone. All of my subjects were. And Dr Alphys has taken over my position."

"This can't be possible. I ran away from you."

She caught Grillby's eye, and he tilted his head. "Who is it?" he asked her, looking at the fear on his girlfriend's face.

She didn't respond.

"Oh my dear Alice," Gaster said with a chuckle. "You cannot run from me."

"Don't call me again," Alice growled and hung up before he could say anything else.

"Alice," Grillby said, walking over and putting a hand on her back. "Is everything okay?"

She looked at him, her eye sockets watering just a little. "That was...Gaster."

He paused. "You mean the same Gaster that stuck syringes in your eyes?"

She nodded.

Grillby took her in his arms. The heat from his flames comforted her a little. She felt so safe when he was there. "It's okay," he whispered. "It'll be alright."

She thought that was the end of it.

But later, things got worse.

Alice was just about ready to start her shift at Grillby's, thinking about that phone call. The door opened, and Alice turned to face her customer with a warm smile...

...which quickly turned to a look of pure horror.

Dr Gaster was standing in the doorway, staring blankly at her. "Hello, Alice."

He certainly had changed since the last time they'd seen each other. His clothes were all black now, and his skull was deformed. There were two large cracks, one running down to his left eye from the top of his skull, and the other going from his right eye to the corner of his mouth.

Grillby stood next to her, gripping her hand protectively. "Who's that?" he asked in a whisper.

Alice's free hand went instinctively to her eye. Grillby's frowned deepened. "That's him?"

She nodded. "Dr...W. D...Gaster..."

Gaster smiled a little bit. "Alice. Sweet, innocent Alice. Bearer of the KINDNESS soul. I've missed you." He opened his arms, waiting for her to embrace him.

She clenched her jaw. She never wanted to see him again.

"Sir," Grillby spoke up, taking a couple steps toward Gaster. "I'd like to ask you to leave."

Gaster ignored him, his smile boring into Alice's soul. She felt afraid again. For the first time in years she felt scared.

"Sir," Grillby tried again, more firmly this time as he took Gaster by the elbow. "I said you need-"

He didn't get the chance to finish before Gaster dropped his smile, grabbed Grillby's arm and threw him across the bar. The sudden movement made Alice jump. He cried out and smashed into the wall, his head cracked against it. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.

"Grillby!" Alice shrieked, tears starting to flow down her cheekbones. Gaster stepped toward her and grabbed her arm.

"We're leaving," he growled in warning. "Now."

Alice wanted to scream. She wanted to fight him. But something in his face made her feel like that helpless little girl she once was, trapped by her own fear. She saw nothing of the father he used to be. So, shivering, she held her tongue and walked quietly, reluctantly, out of the restaurant.

She looked around and caught sight of Sans and Papyrus. Sans was looking straight at her with wide sockets, and Papyrus look confused and concerned.

Sans immediately ran forward, conjured up an attack, and hurled it at Gaster. It connected, sending him and Alice both sprawling. Gaster's grip loosened, and Sans pulled her away from him and into Papyrus's waiting arms. He hugged her tight as she shivered.

Sans put a foot on Gaster's chest, holding him to the ground. "What the _hell_ are you doing here?" he hissed.

Gaster merely smiled. "Oh, 5AN5. How nice to see you again. I was just collecting A1IC3. I still have tests I need to run."

"You aren't going to do anything."

Alice watched the two argue while she desperately searched for a way out. Papyrus had taken Sans's side, keeping himself between Gaster and Alice. She looked back at Grillby. He was still knocked out.

The other townspeople started to notice the spectacle and had started whispering among themselves. "Who is that?" they asked. "Why is he here? What could he want?"

Gaster, seemingly unbothered by the scene they were all making, simply grabbed Sans's ankle and lifted it off his chest, and threw him to the ground. Papyrus grabbed Alice's hand and started running. They didn't get very far before Papyrus was suddenly tripped. He cried out, and they both fell to the snow. Alice heard Sans shouting, and she was pulled to her feet.

"Leave her alone!" Sans shouted, thrusting another attack at the black-clad scientist. Gaster blocked it with ease, then threw one of his own. It missed, and Sans jumped to his feet and fired a flurry of bone attacks at him, plus a few Gaster Blasters. They all were dodged or blocked, but the last one hit, sending Gaster to his knees, and Alice was thrown back a couple feet. She lay on the ground, dizzy. She saw Sans continuing his assault, beating Gaster within an inch of his life.

She slowly got to her feet and ran to Sans, grabbed his arm, and pulled him back. "Stop!" she screamed. "Stop! That's enough!"

Sans paused, glared at her. His eyes were dark, the one glowing that cyan/yellow color. Then his face softened when he saw that she had begun to cry.

"Just stop..." she wept. "You've done enough..."

Gaster got to his feet, shaking, gingerly clutching his left arm. He was smiling. "You've gotten stronger," he said, breathless. He looked at Alice, his smile turning malicious. "Why don't you show me _your_ power?"

Alice shivered. She never even tested the abilities. But he wasn't backing down. He was determined to take her back there, maybe even kill her. Just like in her dreams.

"You need to leave. The King doesn't want you around anymore," she said.

He frowned suddenly. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't you know why Alphys replaced you?"

"Because I disappeared?" He cocked his head to the side.

"No. You lied about your experiments," Alice continued. "You told me Asgore allowed you to 'continue' your experiments with human souls. Well I found out through Alphys that you did it illegally. You stole fragments of the human souls. You're now a wanted criminal. And I am a crucial piece of evidence."

Gaster went paler than ever. "How did she find out?" he asked in a whisper.

Sans was helping Papyrus up off the ground. "She's the new head scientist," he chimed in. "She has access to all the files you possessed. She found the ones on the human souls and turned them in to Asgore. You're screwed man."

"I have a suggestion for you," Alice went on. "Leave now, and we won't say you were here."

She heard murmurs of agreement and approval from the townspeople that had gathered. Sans had his jaw set, and Papyrus looked scared. Grillby had woken up and appeared by her side. He put his hand on her shoulder.

Gaster sagged in defeat. "Fine," he said. "I'll go."

"And," Alice continued sternly. "You cannot pursue me again. Or any one of your lab rats. Clear?"

Gaster nodded, turned, and vanished in a puff of black smoke.

Sans and Papyrus were barely injured, but Grillby had a slight concussion and a fractured wrist. Alice's friends were safe, and that's what mattered to her.

She rolled back into the dining room on her roller skates, a new addition to the restaurant's wardrobe for the night shift. She brought the trays of food to the table and smiled as Sans as he walked in.

"Hey, Grillbz. Hey, Alice," he greeted them, sitting up at the bar. Grillby gave him the usual bottle of ketchup.

"How's Papy?" Alice asked, giving a new table menus and taking they're drink orders. "I didn't get to see him today."

"He's out," he responded. "Undyne told him he'd get to join the Guard if he caught a human. So he's out 'patrolling'." He made air quotes around the last word.

Alice giggled. "You think he'll find one?"

Sans shrugged. "Unlikely. No human has fallen down in ages."

She frowned. "Well that's kinda pointless then." And then it hit her. "Oh. She doesn't want him in the Guard, huh?"

Sans nodded.

The door suddenly burst open. "Everyone evacuate!" a monster cried. "A human has fallen, and is now destroying all monsterkind! We are all in danger!"

Sans and Alice locked eyes.


	4. The Human

The entire town was dead once everyone had been evacuated. The silence was eerie. Alice stood with Papyrus, waiting for the human to come so they could stop them. Grillby made her promise to get out of there if things went bad. She accepted, and he kissed her before leaving. She could still feel the softness of his heated lips.

"I still don't believe it," Papyrus said, sitting down beside her. "The human...I thought they'd be good."

Alice nodded. "I understand how disappointed you must be."

Papyrus made a sad noise.

"But now isn't the time. Once we find the human, we'll capture them and put a stop to this."

He shrugged.

Alice tried to smile. "Hey, maybe Undyne will really let you into the Royal Guard now. She'll see that you really do have it in you."

This made him smile just a little bit. "Maybe..."

Alice sighed. She felt bad. Papyrus had so much hope for the human. He even tried to be friends with them.

She could see something in the distance. She peered closer, and saw the human approaching.

They were only a child, no more than nine, with a pale white face and eyes that were a blood red. Their sweater, which was light green with a yellow stripe in the middle, was caked with dried blood and sprinkled with dust. Monster dust.

They caught sight of Alice and grinned, then ran to her. Alice raised her arm sharply, and a wall of green bones surrounded the human, trapping them inside. The human stopped, looked around, and their smile turned to an angry growl.

Papyrus stood up and raised his arm too, and the human was hit from behind with several bones. The human cried out as they hit the walls of bones. Alice saw him wince. She knew this was hurting him.

He stopped, and Alice took a turn. She gave the human a small beating, not wanting to hurt them too badly, as they were still a child.

Once Papyrus finished his final assault, he walked forward a bit, looking at the human. They were just lying there, crumpled in the snow, beaten and bruised.

"You don't have to do this anymore, human," he said shakily. His voice was trembling. He was crying.

The human didn't respond. They kept shivering silently.

"You don't have to hurt anyone. You are better than this."

The human didn't look up.

"Alice, put the wall down," Papyrus said. "Please."

"But what if they-" she began.

"Just do it!" Papyrus snapped his skull towards her. Alice was taken aback, but she lowered her arm, the bones retracting into the ground again.

The human looked up. Their face dripped with fresh blood. But they didn't even blink.

"Please, human..." Papyrus continued, helping them to their feet. "Stop this."

There was a long stillness. Everyone was quiet, nobody moved. Absolute silence.

Then the human jumped up and ran past Papyrus, running straight for Alice, face twisted into a mad hatred for trapping them in that cage. Alice gasped. Frozen with fear, she put her arms up in an attempt to block the knife the human was holding. She squeezed her eyes shut...

...and heard a cry of pain.

 _Papyrus!_ her mind screamed.

She opened her eyes and saw that he had fallen on his back before her. The human was running away, into the forest, but Alice didn't care. She knealt down and pulled him close to her. She was trembling.

Her mind went back to the nightmares she had as a little girl. Monsters turning to dust all around her. She didn't want Papyrus to be one of them.

"No...no no no, Papyrus, oh gosh...no." Alice was panicking. Her little brother coughed.

"Alice..." he managed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she said frantically, her sockets starting to spill tears. She examined his wound. He had been slashed across the neckbone, deep. It looked fatal.

"That human..." he whispered. Alice had to lean down to hear him. "I thought...I could help...help them be better..."

She nodded, sniffled, and started to sob. "I know, Papy. You didn't want to hurt them."

"I...jumped in to...save you..."

"And save me you did. Come on, get up. We'll get you some help." Alice tried to stay positive. "What about joining the Royal Guard? Y-You still...You need to..."

Papyrus took her hand. "Sister..." he said with a little smile. "I know it's over. I feel myself starting to fade." He lifted his arm, and they both watched his fingers quickly start disintegrating.

Alice cried harder, holding him close to her. She didn't want to lose her little brother. She was too scared.

He gave her the tightest embrace he could muster, then let out a long sigh. "Tell Sans I love him," he said calmly.

She nodded. "I will, I promise I will." She kissed the top of his skull and whispered, "I love you little brother..."

"I love you too, big sister..."

She felt him start to get lighter, then his dust started seeping through her fingers. She looked at her hands and saw that she was holding only his favorite red scarf.

Emotion flooded her. She cried and screamed to the false sky, lamenting her sorrows until her vocal cords burned.

When the waves subsided, Alice stood up, dried her eye sockets, clutched the scarf tight in one hand, and went to track down that human. She knew exactly where they were going.

* * *

Sans waited in a hallway, lit by bright yellow light, just outside the King's palace. He stood with his arms folded, eyes cast downward. He had objected to Papyrus staying in Snowdin, waiting for the human to show, but Alice assured him that he'd be okay, and that she'd stay with him. He'd reluctantly accepted, and now he was here, waiting for them to return.

He heard footsteps. He thought it was the human, so he stood straight up and looked. Alice was walking towards him, head lowered.

"Ali?" he asked, relaxing. "What's wrong? You okay? Where's Paps?"

Alice slowly raised her left arm. That was when Sans noticed that she was holding a...a familiar...red scarf...

Panic, fear, anger, and sadness shot through him all at the same time. "No..."

She slowly nodded. "The human...tried to kill me...Papyrus..." She stopped.

Sans waited. "What?"

Alice's voice was tinged with pain. "Papyrus saved my life...in exchange for his own."

Sans didn't respond, just held the scarf in his hands. Alice started to cry.

"Are you alright?" Sans asked after a long silence.

"I couldn't save him!" she wailed.

Sans walked forward and hugged her tight. "Easy sis..."

Footsteps. Slow. Quiet.

Alice stopped sobbing almost instantly. She looked in the direction of the steps.

"Oh no...they're here..." she whispered.

Sans instinctively stood on front of her as the human stepped into view. They grinned when they saw Alice, a horrible, wicked grin that made her shiver. She never felt so afraid.

Sans glared at them. "You dirty brother killer," he growled.

The human said nothing.

"You've been busy, haven't you, kid?" Sans continued.

Still no response.

"Let me ask you something. Do you think even the worst person can change? That they can be a good person, if they just tried?"

The human frowned and finally spoke. "No. I don't. And even if I did, I don't want to change." Their voice had a strange accent to it. One that Alice couldn't place.

Sans's eyes closed and he let out a long sigh. "Alright, here's another question..."

"Dear Alice," the human interrupted, turning their attention to her. "Do you remember your...old flame?"

Alice took a step back. "No..." she whimpered.

The human grinned and dropped a handful of dust on the ground. "He wanted me to tell you he loved you before I killed him."

Alice cried out, fell to her knees, and started crying again. _Grillby..._ she thought. _Grillby...I'm so sorry!_

"He died valiantly," the human continued. "Like a true hero, he died trying to save everyone. He died for you, Alice."

Alice just kneeled in front of the small pile of dust, weeping in sheer heartbreak.

"That's it." Sans's voice seethed with rage. "I've had enough of your talk, kid."

Sans's eyes snapped open, and one of them glowed an angry cyan/yellow color. When he spoke again, his voice was low and menacing. "Do you wanna have a bad time? Because if you take another step closer, you're _really_ not gonna like what happens next."

The grin spread across the human's face again. "Oh this is gonna be fun," they said, holding the knife up and tapping their chin with the tip of it and walking closer to Sans.

Sans tossed Papyrus's scarf to Alice. "Sorry old lady," he whispered. "This is why I never make promises."

He raised his arm and clenched his fist just as the human tried to rush him. Their body froze, and they roared in anger. Sans responded by sharply moving his arm left and right, up and down, tossing them around, their body hitting the walls and pillars in the brightly lit hallway, not even giving them a second to breathe.

Alice watched in sadness as the human was thrown about like a rag doll, tears streaming down her face. They deserved this. They killed her little brother, her best friends, and then the monster she loved. They deserved this. They deserved it.

She repeated the phrase over and over in her mind, but by about the third time, she heard something else. A little voice, sounding pained and scared.

 _"Help me..."_ it cried out. _"Please help me!"_

Alice blinked, then looked at the human. She looked past the snarling, anger-filled face of the killer, and saw something that startled her.

She saw the face of another human. Their skin was dark, their eyes were small slits with tears streaming from them, and their mouth open in a silent scream. They had dark brown hair and a purple and blue striped sweater.

They reached a small hand out to Alice.

 _"Please, Alice!"_ the little voice screamed. " _Please! Help me!"_


	5. Judgement Hall

"Sans!" Alice cried. "Stop!"

Sans looked at her, his eye still flashing that cyan/yellow. "What?"

"Stop! I saw something!" Alice ran forth and kicked the knife from the human's hand, sending it skittering across the floor. She grabbed the human's face in her skeletal hands and held it, staring deep into their eyes, trying to find the source of that voice again.

She waited for several minutes, but nothing came. She saw nothing. She heard nothing.

Sans put a hand on her shoulder. "What happened? What did you see?"

"I..." she began. "I saw another human...they were calling for help. They...they were stuck inside this body. I could hear them calling to me."

The human stared at her, slowly grinned, and stood up. "Aww," they said. "Poor, sad little Alice."

"Shut up," Sans snapped.

"It's almost pathetic really," the human continued, like Sans wasn't even there. "Big strong Alice, clearly having more HP than her brother, and yet, so easily weakened."

"I said SHUT _UP!_ " Sans lunged at the human, tackling them and rolling across the floor. Alice screamed at him to stop.

But Sans had stopped moving. Alice heard him gasping for air.

"No!" she shrieked, throwing the human aside. Their head hit a pillar and they hit the ground and didn't get up.

Alice dropped to her knees and pulled Sans's body to her. "No not again..." she babbled through tears. "Not again...no no no. Not you too, Sans! Please no!"

Sans took a deep breath, looked at Alice, and coughed.

"I told you to boost your HP! I told you!" Alice sobbed.

"I know...should've...listened...sorry sis..." He managed a weak smile.

"No! You're gonna be okay. Everything's going to be fine, right?"

"It's over...Alice." Sans held his arm up. The hand had already completely faded into dust, and he was getting lighter by the second.

Alice hugged him tight, said her goodbyes. He returned them with a soft, "I love you, little sis..." before fading away completely, leaving behind only his blue jacket.

Alice stood up, put Sans's jacket on, wrapped Papyrus's scarf around her neck, and waited for the human to wake up.

When they finally did, Alice grabbed them by their collar and pulled them up so they were face-to-skull.

"Why would you trick me like that?" she growled. "Why?"

The human merely smiled.

She opened her jaw to speak again, but felt a sharp pain in her ribs. She looked down and saw a knife sticking out of her.

Her strength left her, and she collapsed to the floor. "How?" she thought, looking to the knife that was now lying atop Sans's dust.

"Backup knives are life savers," the human chuckled. They walked slowly toward the other end of the hallway, leaving her there for dead.

Alice clung to life. She wasn't gonna die. Not yet. No, not yet. Justice hadn't been dealt yet. She wasn't finished yet!

 _Hold on, Alice._

A different voice. Not the one that tricked her, but a different one. More kind and gentle.

 _Look up._

She looked up and saw a figure hovering above her, glowing green. It was a little human girl. Short hair, kind features, soft eyes.

 _Get up, Alice. I know how to save you._

Alice slowly rose to her feet. She stumbled a few times, but eventually she was steady.

 _You don't have much time. I'm afraid we must hurry. Accept me. Let me enter your soul. Let me help you._

Alice hesitated. "Wh-What are you?"

 _I am part of your soul. Those experiments put a piece of me into you. Now please!_ The figure gestured to the human, who was already at the exit. _Don't let that thing get the rest of us!_

Alice nodded, and the strange human girl placed her hand on Alice's chest. There was a brilliant flash of green light, so bright that Alice had to shut her eyes, and she felt her strength come back, then multiply. Her body lifted off the ground, and then the light faded.

She opened her eyes to see the human staring with wide eyes. She looked at her reflection in a window.

The green human soul must have fused with her own, because it transformed her. Large, light green angel wings were spread out behind her, holding her in the air. Her eyes both gleamed a vibrant green, and trailed a soft green smoke. Her simple green T-shirt and jeans had become a long green jacket, similar to Sans's, with sleeves that flowed in an invisible breeze and a beautiful green skirt of the same color. Her hair had grown longer, and was streaked with green. She had a green teardrop charm on a gold band around her head. Papyrus's scarf had also turned green, and flowed like the sleeves of the jacket.

She landed gently on the ground on her bare feet, staring at the human, who was still wide-eyed in awe and...fear. They were afraid.

A memory came to her just then. She remembered something Gaster had told her before he disappeared the first time.

"The power of the KINDNESS soul was never tested before now," he'd told her. "I'm hoping to awaken the power within you."

The human spoke, pulling her back to reality. "What are you?" they demanded.

Alice spoke with a voice that was only half hers. Her words were hers, but there was another voice mixed with it. It was smaller, more soft, but it was there. And she knew who it was.

"I am the KINDNESS soul," she said sternly. "It's time to finally deliver justice where it must be given."

She could almost feel Sans and Papyrus beside her as she spoke.

She raised her arm high above her head and splayed her palm. _Time to see what you can do,_ she thought to herself.

She felt the air surge and gather right in the center of her hand. As if she had done this a thousand times before, Alice closed her fist, brought it out in front of her, towards where the human was standing, and splayed her palm in their direction. A beam of green light burst from her hand, and the human let out a scream.

 _"Help me Alice!"_

She knew it wasn't a trick this time, because the human soul inside her screamed at her suddenly.

 _Stop!_ it shouted. _Something isn't right!_

Alice closed her fist suddenly, dispelling the magic in her hand. She walked toward the human, who's health had been lowered significantly. They didn't object when she knealt down and took the knife away.

Alice spoke. "Who are you?"

The human only sniffled.

Alice pressed the fingers of one hand on their temple and concentrated on that glimpse she'd seen merely minutes ago. The glimpse of another human.

"We know you're in there," she repeated, the other soul's voice now mixed with hers again. "Let us get rid of this monster so you can show yourself to us."

The human's eyes bulged, and they let out a painful, ear-piercing scream of agony as their appearance changed. Their skin darkened, their eyes became those slits she'd seen, and their hair darkened too. The sweater went from green and yellow and bloody and dusty to purple, blue and clean.

When the changing stopped, the human stopped screaming and collapsed into Alice's open arms. She held them there for several seconds as they steadied their breathing.

"What's your name, little one?" The soul had let Alice's voice take over while remaining dormant in her.

"F...F-Frisk," they finally spoke, then their head snapped up to look at her. "I'm sorry! I didn't want to kill them. I tried to fight it. But Chara wouldn't let me-"

"Chara?" Alice asked.

"Yeah...the other human."

She nodded and let Frisk continue.

"Chara wouldn't let me spare them. Toriel, Undyne, Papyrus...I didn't have a choice. I had to kill them!"

Alice hugged Frisk gently as they started to cry. She soothed them by softly whispering that she wouldn't hurt them, that they were safe now.

The KINDNESS soul spoke up. _There's still a way they can save everyone. Tell them that._

"There's a way you can save everybody," she whispered. "Bring them all back, I mean."

Frisk immediately looked up. "How?" they asked, wiping their eyes with their sleeve.

 _RESET._

"Just RESET."

Frisk seemed to ponder this.

 _If they do RESET,_ the soul said, _you'll disappear._

"What?" Alice said aloud.

 _It's awful, I know. But it's the only other way. You aren't supposed to be here right now. You're a bug. You weren't supposed to interfere with the timeline. If the human presses that RESET button, then you'll vanish._

"What's wrong?" Frisk asked, noticing Alice's expression.

"I'll disappear if you RESET. Nobody will remember me." Alice's eyes teared up at that point, but she seemed to accept this fact now.

Frisk immediately shook their head. "I don't want to hurt anyone anymore. I don't wanna kill ever again."

Alice took their chin in one hand. "What's worse: living all alone here forever, or sacrificing one life to save everyone else?"

Frisk thought for a moment. "What about Grillby? He loved you a lot," they tried.

Alice shook her head. "He'll never remember my name."

"Your brothers?"

"Never had a sister named Alice."

"Anyone?"

"I never existed. I'm just someone you made up, they'll think. An imaginary friend."

Frisk started crying again. "But...that's not fair!"

Alice smiled sadly. "I know. But I'm not even supposed to be in the game. I'm not supposed to be interfering with the plot. I'm a glitch, a bug. Once you RESET, I'll be deleted forever."

Frisk hugged her tight. "It doesn't have to be like this!"

"Look around you, Frisk." Alice looked at them hard. "Nobody is here except you, me, and Asgore. We're all that's left in this world. You have to do this, kid. For my brothers...for everyone..."

She trailed off, started to cry. "Save them, Frisk...Don't worry about me."

"Will I remember you?" Frisk asked.

"Yes. You'll remember me because you're like the other human souls. You have a special thing about you. You have a lot of DETERMINATION. If you're DETERMINED to remember me, you will."

Frisk nodded. "Will I get to see you?"

"Maybe," Alice shrugged and smiled. "If the creators allow, maybe I'll be a ghost, a secret in the game that you can find."

Frisk stood up and looked at Alice, who was still kneeling in front of them. Frisk thought she looked like a fallen angel finally getting their wings back.

"You look really pretty, Miss Alice," they smiled through another sob.

Alice cried freely while laughing a little at the same time. "Thank you," she giggled.

"I'm ready now."

The RESET button, simple orange text in a black box, appeared before them. They held their hand out, said one last goodbye to Alice, and pressed the button.

"Stay DETERMINED, Frisk..." Alice said before she was shrouded in a white light.

Frisk sat at their desk, writing a letter to what Toriel and Sans thought was an imaginary friend. Frisk did have an active imagination.

It had been a few months since the monsters had been freed, and they were transitioning smoothly into the human world. They were even treated fairly by the other humans.

But Frisk wasn't thinking about that right now. They were focused in the letter they were writing.

 _"Dear Alice,_

 _It's been a week since my last letter. Sorry, I've been busy with school and stuff. Mom and Sans are getting married next fall. It was my idea. Can you come too, please? I remember hearing you liked the fall._

 _I haven't seen you for three days. Where do you go? You should tell me at least where you are so I don't get worried._

 _Grillby opened his bar on the surface. The business is going pretty well, I hear. I bet you miss him a lot, don't you?_

 _Sans still has yet to pay his tab, but otherwise, he's doing great. Muffet owns a bakery too. And the pastries there aren't made of spiders. They're really good!_

 _Uncle Papyrus is doing well. Now that he's up on the surface, he's not worried about joining the Royal Guard anymore. Now he just wants to be a part of the community, and I think it's great. He's always trying to do volunteer work around the town. The other kids love him._

 _Sans has been having frequent dreams about being back in the Underground, with someone he can't quite recognize, but he feels comfortable calling them "sister". To be honest, I'm sure he's dreaming about you, Alice._

 _Alphys is working at another lab, but she's still the same anime geek we all love. She started dating Undyne about two days ago. They're such a power couple!_

 _Speaking of Undyne, she teaches martial arts to kids and teens. She's doing really well at that too, and her students are just as spunky as she is._

 _Mettaton has been trying to get into show business again, but you'd be surprised how many people aren't looking for the Underground's #1 Hottest Robot for their next shoot._

 _I'm taking an art class, and finally finished that drawing of you. I think you'll really like it._

 _Anyway, I have to go now. Mom's calling me for dinner. Bye for now!_

 _Still DETERMINED,_

 _Frisk"_

Frisk pulled out a folder from their backpack and took out a folder piece of paper. When they unfolded it and put in on the desk, next to the letter, they smiled. The drawing showed a skeletal angel, with a long, green, flowing gown and a teardrop crown atop her golden hair. Her wings were the purest white, and streaked with gold. A light breeze played with her hair. The angel was kneeling in a field of daisies, holding a small bouquet of them in her delicate hands, her face bent over them as she smelled them. Her eyes were closed and her face was peaceful, but she wasnt smiling. A tear rolled down her cheekbone, shimmering in the sunlight.

"Hope you like it, Alice," Frisk said softly, standing up and walking out.

And just before they left the room, Frisk looked over their shoulder and saw a slight glimpse of a skeletal figure, clad in green with blonde hair. It was just a glimpse, but they knew she was there. They knew Alice was still watching over them.


End file.
